What does success look like for you?

People say they want to be successful but when pushed they can often find it hard to define what this actually means for them. What success looks and feels like is going to vary from person to person and it does not have to be just about promotion, recognition or earning more and more money. There are alternative ways of measuring success and working out what it looks and feels like for each individual. It might be finding more time for your family, building more choice and flexibility in to your life, or developing new knowledge or skills to enable your career to move ahead or in a new direction altogether. It is important to remember that success does not always have to be linear and upwards to be enriching.

So, how are you currently defining success in your personal and professional life? Do you know what you want, and what you need to do to enable you to secure it? Without clarity on these questions, it is extremely difficult to equip yourself with the skills, tools and direction required to move forward, or make any real change to your circumstances.

How to get started?

Take the time to establish your own version of success until you are clear on what you want to achieve and the reasons why it will make a difference to your personal and/or professional life.

Have a vivid picture in your mind of what your version of success looks like because if you are clear on your motivation then you are more likely to succeed. Share this vision with your family, friends and peers to gather their ideas and support with turning it into reality.

Turn your target for success into a plan by breaking it down into a list of smaller doable actions and give each of them a completion date. This structure will keep you moving towards your target and will make it much more likely that you will achieve your version of success

Think about who can help you turn your ideas into a successful reality. Take time to map out your own networks and connections establishing what can they offer you. It could be advice, insight, experience, time or introductions. Before going to ask for their help in achieving your targets consider if there is any mutual benefit – what can you offer in return?

When putting your plan together think about what the likely obstacles or road bumps are likely to be. How could you potentially work around them to ensure you are not blown off course?

Each time you complete a task that moves you towards your version of success make sure you give yourself a reward.

By becoming more conscious of your ambition and being clear on what your version of success looks like you will be taking the first step towards turning it from an idea into a new reality.

Share this article:

About this Article

Lesley is an experienced manager within the Higher Education sector with a focus on creating and implementing strategy, in particular around employability, employer engagement and all forms of careers education. Extensive knowledge and experience of stakeholder management, project management, staff management, development and training, research, and successfully navigating change. I have successfully planned and delivered bids, projects and effective partnership working. Lesley is currently Joint Head of the Careers and Employability Service at the University of Stirling.